In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

"It seems Nordkal is really chaotic. Fraud, smuggling, assassinations... these things can be discussed casually in a tavern." Wang Yan couldn't help but sigh.

If this happened in another country, it might have been reported.

Here, as long as you don't cause trouble in Nasha Town, the local authorities, the Voynich Chamber of Commerce, won't care.

"Order only exists in towns... No wonder this place has become a gathering place for gray forces. The wasteland vibe is becoming more and more obvious."

Just then, the tavern's waiter brought over wild berry paisley and fried berry meat.

Wang Yan tasted it and found it to be quite good; no wonder it was one of the restaurant's signature dishes.

Thinking about it carefully, traveling in Teyvat and tasting the local delicacies seems like a pretty good life.

Once I've finished making the [Jade Carriage], I definitely want to travel to different countries and taste all kinds of delicious food.

Just as Wang Yan was pondering the delicious food of the future, the door of the tavern was pushed open, and a powerful aura instantly attracted his attention.

Subconsciously, I looked over and saw a tall figure walk in, shouting as he entered, "Demian, bring me the real Roulette Special!"

"Hey, Grand Master Falgar, what brings you to the tavern today?" Demian greeted with a smile.

Many patrons around him greeted the Grand Master of the Mondstadt Favonius Order.

Falga welcomed everyone with a smile, appearing more like a local than the locals themselves.

“Things have been quiet at the camp lately, and there are fewer wild hunts, so I took a break.” Falgar smiled, sat down at the bar, and looked at everyone. “Anyone want to play roulette with me? I’ll pay, and the loser has to keep a secret!”

The rotating cocktail wheel is a true specialty of the flagship bar. Two or more people take turns rotating the wheel, pointing to whichever drink they want, until they can't drink anymore.

Those who cannot drink are the losers, and the losers must hand over a secret as a price.

However, most people use drinks instead of alcohol when playing, only drunkards like Falgar would use real alcohol.

Falgar's challenge instantly attracted a lot of attention.

This knight commander was already quite famous in Nasha Town, after all, he was the hero who saved everyone along with the travelers.

However, when it comes to drinking contests, even though they've lost to this leader countless times, the people of Xia Town will not give up!

"I'll do it!"

A man dressed as a sailor stood up; he was none other than the sailor leader who had previously discussed the interception.

"Alright, charge! Defeat the knights!"

"Go, sailors!"

"The boss is mighty!"

The people around started making a ruckus and checking the accounts.

Wang Yan couldn't help but be drawn to this side, his gaze fixed on it.

In the dim light, a space had been cleared out of the bar area, where a roulette wheel stood quietly in the center, covered with various glasses of spirits.

Falgar leaned on the edge of the bar, grinning, his eyes bright and full of interest; the sailor boss opposite him had taken off his jacket, revealing his muscular arms and tattoos, his face full of fierce eagerness.

It seems like a match between equals, a clash of titans.

"You know all the rules?" Demian, the bartender, asked, wiping the glass.

"Of course!" the captain spat.

Falgar nodded.

"Then let's begin!"

Demian spun the roulette wheel hard. A crisp metallic scraping sound rang out, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the swaying tip. After a few spins, the roulette wheel slowly came to rest on a glass of clear, transparent liquid that exuded a strong smell of alcohol.

"Winter Solstice Fire Water Wine!" someone shouted.

The people around gasped in surprise, not expecting it to be so exciting right from the start.

As the name suggests, Zhi Dong Huo Shui is a wine as fiery as fire.

Falgar laughed heartily, picked up the glass of wine without hesitation, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. His Adam's apple bobbed as the glass emptied.

He turned the cup upside down on the table and, without changing his expression, gestured with his chin toward the sailor's captain.

The roulette wheel spun again.

This time it refers to a glass of dark brown, strong rum.

The sailor leader snorted and grabbed the glass, gulping it down. He drank too fast, and a few drops of wine spilled from the corner of his mouth, which he wiped away with his sleeve.

"it is good!"

"Continue! Continue!"

The surrounding patrons erupted in cheers and whistles, and people kept gathering around, making the bar completely packed.

Wang Yan also put down his juice and watched the lively competition with great interest.

One cup, two cups, five cups, ten cups...

The roulette wheel kept spinning, and the two of them drank one cup after another.

Falga maintained a smile throughout, his eyes remained clear, though a faint blush appeared on his face;

The captain of the sailors was already sweating profusely, and his breathing was becoming increasingly heavy, but the ferocity in his eyes was not diminishing but rather increasing, and every time he raised his glass, he did so with a desperate spirit.

The fifteenth cup was a "Hellfire" drink, a mixture of various spirits and spicy seasonings.

The captain's hands were trembling as he took the cup. He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and gulped it down. He then coughed violently, his face turning bright red.

Falgar merely squinted slightly, downed his drink in one gulp, then exhaled a long breath carrying the aroma of wine, giving the sailor captain a thumbs-up: "That's powerful!"

The cheers nearly lifted the roof off the tavern.

Some people were banging on the table, others were cheering, and the atmosphere reached its peak.

The eighteenth cup was a large glass of "water of life," which was almost pure alcohol.

When the captain of the sailors took it, the cup was already wobbling slightly in his hand.

He glanced at Falgar, the knight commander, who was still standing straight with a calm gaze, showing little sign of drunkenness.

A hint of reluctance flashed in the sailor's eyes, but he still tilted his head back and forced the water down his throat.

After that drink, his eyes became noticeably unfocused, and his body swayed involuntarily. He barely managed to stand by holding onto the bar.

We kept going until the twentieth cup!

The roulette wheel stopped on a glass of "Rainbow Abyss," which was brightly colored but had a strangely sweet aroma.

This is made by layering several high-concentration liqueurs, resulting in a sweet and cloying taste, but with a terrifying aftereffect.

The sailor stared at the glass of wine, his throat bobbing a few times. He reached out to take it, but his fingers slid along the glass twice before he finally gripped it firmly.

He tried to raise his glass, but his arm trembled violently, and the wine spilled over the rim.

The cheers around them gradually subsided, and everyone watched with bated breath.

The sailor tried twice, but finally let go, and the glass fell onto the bar with a "clatter," spilling the colorful liquid everywhere.

He gasped for breath, raised his bloodshot eyes, looked at Falga, and finally squeezed out a few words from between his teeth:

"...I...I give up."

"I urge you—!!"

Instantly, a huge chorus of boos and laughter erupted, filling every corner of the tavern.

Some people laughed, some shook their heads, and some whistled.

The sailor was hurriedly supported by his men. He was limp as a lump of mud, his eyelids drooping heavily, and he was mumbling something incoherently.

One of his men leaned closer to listen, then looked up and shouted to Falgar and those around him:

"Our boss admits defeat! It's a secret... he said..."

The captain of the sailors struggled to lift his head, his drunken gaze sweeping over the faces around him, finally settling on Falgar's smiling face. He slurred, speaking haltingly but clearly enough:

“My secret… is… is… there’s a guy… who stole our goods… we… are going to take him down… and… get the money back…”

After saying this, he tilted his head to the side and completely passed out drunk. His men carried him out of the tavern.

The boos gradually subsided; those who can afford to lose deserve respect.

Falgar didn't care about the secrets left behind. He looked up again at the people around him and asked, "Is anyone else coming?"

No one answered.

Falgar's alcohol tolerance is truly 'frightening'.

"How about I give it a try?"

Wang Yan's voice rang out from behind the crowd, and the crowd parted to make way.

He wasn't interested in drinking, but he was very interested in getting up close to Mondstadt's drunken captain.

Falga looked at Wang Yan: "A scholar from the Academy of Religion?"

"Does the Grand Commander think I can't drink?" Wang Yan joked.

Falgar shook his head: "No, no, no, I'm just a little surprised to see so few scholars from the Church here."

As he spoke, he smiled and said, "Scholars are welcome to challenge the roulette wheel special blend!"

"Ohhhh, keep it up, scholars!"

"Go for it, defeat the Grand Commander!"

The surrounding drinkers cheered again.

Bartender Demian deftly removed the empty glasses and replaced them with a dazzling array of spirits, including many of the spirits that had just appeared.

“The rules remain the same: the loser has to share a secret,” Falgar added with a smile. “Of course, if the scholar feels uncomfortable halfway through, he can stop at any time.”

“Of course.” Wang Yan walked to the other side of the bar and stood there calmly. “Let’s begin.”

Demian turned the pointer forcefully. The pointer stopped on a glass of amber-colored strong whiskey.

Wang Yan picked up the wine glass, but instead of drinking it down like Falgar or the previous sailors, he first took a light sniff of the strong aroma of the wine before sipping it slowly, without leaving a single drop.

He finished the cup, his expression unchanged, even nodding slightly as if savoring it.

Falgar watched him with interest as the roulette wheel spun again, pointing to a glass of deep red wine.

He also picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

In the first few rounds, the two of them kept a steady pace.

Wang Yan's drinking style seemed somewhat "delicate" to the surrounding drinkers, a stark contrast to Falga's unrestrained manner. Some began to whisper among themselves that the scholar probably wouldn't be able to handle many drinks.

However, after ten cups, twenty cups...

Wang Yan's speed did not slow down, his expression remained unchanged, and even his breathing remained steady.

On the contrary, those around them began to realize that this scholar was not simple.

When the roulette wheel reached the thirtieth cup, Wang Yan remained calm, while Falga's face began to flush.

Of course, Wang Yan cheated. With the help of the angelic blessing flowing quietly within his body, what Wang Yan felt was not the burning and numbing sensation of alcohol, but a light and strange warm current.

It was as if alcohol was just a passerby, unable to leave a trace in his body.

Falga also noticed the unusual nature of the king's words.

His own drinking capacity was honed through countless trials, and a noticeable flush appeared on his face, but his eyes remained as sharp as an eagle's. Looking into the scholar's still clear eyes, his surprise grew stronger.

"Impressive drinking capacity!" Falgar exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with even greater fighting spirit. "It seems I underestimated you, sir!"

The initial clamor and noise had long since faded, replaced by a de facto duel that defied logic. Cup after cup, the spinning wheel spun, empty glasses piled up.

The thirty-fifth cup...the thirty-eighth cup...the fortieth cup!

When Wang Yan calmly put down the empty glass of his fortieth strong liquor, the entire tavern was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Falgar drank his fortieth cup, and the magnanimous leader finally couldn't help but exhale a long breath filled with the strong smell of alcohol, shaking his head: "I concede."

He can still drink, but there's no need for him to.